Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-02-07

tains tonight, and they're going to
start about ten o'clock. I'll have to
send special, but / haven't an en-
gineer that / can trust. Now, it's
your night off, know, but if you'll
pull the throttle for them fellows I'll
make it all right with you
WELL says /, IN go, of course
but it's going to be a bad night on
the mountains
That's so, Bob said the super,
but l know l can rely on you, and
them directors says they must get
through, anyhow
So / went back to the little cottage
and told Nell as how I'd got to go.
She took on very queer like and seem
ed distressed to have me away, tho
she never acted like that before.
Its an awful night, Bob, says
she; can't they send some one else?
/ don't like to have you go
Nonsense says / 'the storm
won't hurt me, and I'll be back again
tomorrow. The super's promised to
do the square thing, and it will come
out all right
She seemed a little reassured, and
| got out my great coat and muff1er,
and in 'em l prepared to start out.
We'll, Bob, says my wife, IF you
must go, why, you must; but, she
added thoughtfully, and there was
the queerest look passed over her
face, be careful at that Curve Noun
tain Cut
scarcely heard what she said, but
bidding her good-by, was soon on
my way to the round-house. 1t was
a wild night and no mistake seems
to me I had never seen it blow hard
er or snow faster. Once or twice /
had to turn my back to the blast to
keep from blowin' over. Well, l
was soon aboard my machine, and,
backing into the station, hitched on
to two cars which were to make up
the train. AS ten o'clock approach
ed the directors began to arrive, POM
pous looking men, with plenty of
money, and feeling all their import
ance.
Them fellows says l to myself,
feel their steam, but l don't suppose
they'd look at an engine in the same
way would
Dan was on the watch for the sig
nal to start, and when the clock
struck ten we turned on the steam
and off we started.
Tve seen some pretty bad nights,
but that one was the worst / ever re-
member. The storm tonight is hard
enough, but it don't begin to blow as
it did then. Why, every now and
then we would get blast that would
make the whole machine tremble,
and, as the country about Portland
is pretty level, we took the full force
of the wind. AS we got further in
land, it wasn't so bad, and by the
time we were forty miles out it had
turned to a summer gale and was
pouring torrents.
And now comes the singular part
of the story. We had the right of
way, and our dispatcher was to keep
the whole line up to Fabyan's open
for us, my instruction being to stop
only at North Conway for water. So
| gave her the throttle, and we bowl
ed along at a good rate of speed,
making, perhaps, thirty to thirty-fve
miles an hour, As we went whis=
tling through Sebago Lake station, l
had a kind of feeling come over me
that there was something wrong. |
didn't notice it at first, but every
now and then it would come to me
that all wasn't right. l alters exam
inc my machine before | start, give
her good oilin'a look well to the
bolts and parallel rods, try the levers
and such; and so | knew when we
left Portland, old 40 was In perfect
working trim. Yet the feeling grew
on me until it was a steady thing.
| tried to shake it off, but it wasn't
no use. ] felt it in my bones that
something was up.
Now you gentlemen will laugh at
me for being fool, and / don't
blame you, for we was agoing along
all right; everything from the water
gauge to the cylinders was worl8in'
in good time, and knew it was only
my imagination, but to tell the truth,
| began to feel uneasy. l had been
an engineer for ten years, and had
been through some pretty tough
scrapes, without blowin' for brakes,
and the boys all said as how l had a
good deal of pluck, Now ! began TO
lose all confidence,
Bob, says | to myself, this won't
do. You're gettin' nervous, and all
for nothin'. You've no business to
be superstltious at your time of life.
Brace up, old boy!'
"Twa'n't no use, however. could
have stood up in court and sworn
that there was a kink somewhere.
Well meanwhile we was sliding along,
and pretty soon reached North Con-
way, where we was to give the ma
chine drink. Dan, SAYS / TO my
fireman. 'ther's something out of the
way with this machine, and / don't
| know what it is.
/ what makes Won think so = saws